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INTRODUCTION The Bank House Estate at Port Melbourne, commonly known as Garden City, is bounded by the lane west of Graham Street, Williamstown Road, Howe Parade, Poolman Street and Walter Street (see Figure 1). The area contains 322 dwellings, which were constructed for the State Savings Bank of Victoria by WA Henderson of Henderson and Haddow Architects between 1926 and 1948. The dwellings are built in pairs to six standard designs. Garden City includes three recreational reserves, however the small commercial precinct on Graham Street was not constructed along with the development of Garden City (despite it initially being designed as a part of the Estate). The Bank House Estate was a unique experiment in mass housing, quite unlike anything else in Australia. Initiated by the State government through the State Savings Bank, it was Victoria’s first attempt to provide low-cost housing on a single estate. Garden City was influential on later State public housing policies as implemented through the Housing Commission of Victoria and the construction of many other public housing estates around the State. The estate was designed according to the Garden City town planning philosophy popular in England earlier this century. The housing style within the estate and the general layout of the estate were extremely innovative for their time and were very different from the typical housing developments of the 1920s and 1930s. Garden City is a significant heritage place. It is essential that the City of Port Phillip and its residents maintain and enhance its unique character. It is also important that the needs of individual property owners are recognised. These guidelines are designed to strike a balance between these objectives. They describe the features that make Garden City Estate significant and offer practical suggestions to help property owners maintain its significance, whilst allowing for renovations and development to occur.
Garden City Guidelines
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